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Congresswoman Robin Kelly calls for bipartisanship on National Security

Mar 17, 2015

Press Release

U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL) went to the House floor last night to urge Democrats and Republicans to work together on matters of national security. The text of the speech is below:

American families expect us to work hard to keep them safe. It’s our job to work together in addressing their national security concerns – not to diminish our government’s standing for political sport.

In two short months, this Congress has allowed party extremists to push us to the brink of having NO Homeland Security funding.

And now we must deal with the dynamic created by misguided Senators whose attempts to undermine the President on Iran have set a dangerous precedent that compromises the authority of future Presidents to negotiate on matters of foreign and national security policy.

I ask my colleagues: What are we doing?!

We can’t cater to political extremes here at home AND protect American families from real extremist threats abroad.

Let’s move beyond the politics that divide us and commit to working with the President to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

The Illinois families I represent deserve it, and the American people demand it.

Congresswoman Kelly serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, as well as the House Oversight and Government Reform’s National Security Subcommittee.